How to Create Art on Golf Balls with Sharpies

Written by marilla mulwane

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Golf balls can be used as a canvas for works of art (golf ball image by Jeffrey Zalesny from Fotolia.com)

Sharpies can be used to colour almost anything--shoes, shirts, walls, tables and more. Golf balls can also be turned into works of art with Sharpie markers. This craft project can be made simple by letting kids colour the golf balls any way they want, or you can make elaborate designs that can be displayed for all to see. It doesn't matter if you don't like the sport, golf balls are a fun canvas for Sharpie art.

Skill level:

Moderate

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Things you need

Printer

Printer Paper

Scissors

Coloured pencils

Golf ball

Sharpies

Circular graph paper-hex pattern

Mod podge

Small paint brush

Mod podge acrylic sealer (optional)

Soda bottle top

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Instructions

1

Go to the Incompetech website. Choose the "Circular-Hex Pattern." Set the Minimum Border to .5 inches, the Dot Weight to .5 inches, the Grid Spacing to .2 inches and the Radius Multiplier to .5 inches. Click "Download PDF." Incompetech is one of the very few sites you can find circular graph paper and it is free to download.

2

Print the graph paper. Cut off any extra circles with the scissors so you have as many circles as there are dimples on the golf ball.

3

Colour the circles on the graph paper with the coloured pencils. The grid can be coloured in as well. The graph paper is perfect for creating designs before permanently marking the golf balls with the Sharpies.

4

Colour the golf ball with the Sharpies while following the design on the graph paper. Start with the top left corner of the graph paper and choose a dimple on the golf ball to match it. Colour in the dimple the same colour as the circle on the graph paper. Continue along row by row and the design will start to appear on the golf ball.

5

Set the golf ball on a soda bottle top when it becomes too difficult to hold the ball without smudging the Sharpie. Let the ball dry before finishing the artwork. Let the ball dry for a half hour once it is completely finished.

6

Paint a thin layer of Mod Podge over the golf ball with the small paint brush. It will dry clear and protect the ball from wear over time. Let the golf ball dry by setting it on the soda bottle top.

7

Spray the golf ball with Mod Podge Acrylic Sealer for added protection if the ball will be used, hung as decoration or handled often.

Tips and warnings

If you do not know how many dimples your brand of golf ball has, you can count them by dotting each dimple with a Sharpie. The dots can be removed with nail polish remover if the marker hasn't set completely. Every golf ball by that manufacturer will have the same number of dimples so you only have to count them once.

Use Sharpies with different-sized points to make the design more intricate. Don't forget to use plenty of colours, too.

There are many Mod Podge varieties that will give a glossy sheen, matt finish, glow-in-the-dark, shimmer, glitter and more. The choice is yours.

Sharpie markers always fade over time. You might want to re-coat the golf ball with Mod Podge every now and then. As long as it is not handled often, the art should last a long time.